Disney has been busy the past few years and dropping billions of dollars on entertainment empires. No one can even begin to rival Disney’s properties and rights after they recently bought Fox Entertainment, Lucas Films, Marvel Studios, and more. They also plan to create their own streaming service, Disney+.
But Disney+ won’t be the only streaming service they own. Now they also own Hulu after finishing a new deal with Comcast. They already took a controlling interest of 66% of Hulu as part of the Fox Entertainment package. Comcast owned the other third of Hulu, but recently decided to sell full rights to Disney.
According to both companies, the deal is to go into place immediately. While Disney does own the full 100%, they will continue to license Comcast content that is already on the streaming service. The deal is ultimately worth $27.5 billion, yet Comcast will receive $5.8 through the licensing of their content.
Disney Is Ready for War
Comcast was more willing to let go of Hulu because they plan on creating their own streaming service in the near future. Comcast is part of the NBC and Universal brands, so they have a lot of premium content of their own. Yet, Disney gets the license to continue streaming NBC/Comcast content and NBC live events as a part of the Hulu Live package.
Not only do they get to use NBC licensing, they now have full control over two major streaming services: Hulu and the soon-to-be Disney+. It’s clear that Disney is not going to pull any punches in their war against Netflix. Because they own Marvel Studios as well, there’s plenty of opportunity to Disney to cash in on the Avenger cash cow franchises.
Disney also owns the Star Wars franchise and just announced their plan to release three new movies in the coming years. They also plan to release new top-tier content with their own shows including Winter Soldier, The Mandalorian, Hulk, and other shows. Details are still emerging as they try to keep projects under wraps.
When Disney+ launches in November, it will only cost $6.99 per month. But if Netflix is any indication, we’ll see those prices rise dramatically. Producing their own unique content will be expensive. $6.99 is simply an introductory price to get people subscribed. The world of entertainment is changing dramatically and Disney looks to be at the front of the line.
We’re just here for the ride.
